Salamanca student suspended in wake of threatening graffiti

SALAMANCA – A 16-year-old Salamanca High School student was suspended Friday after a threat to school administrators.

Superintendent Robert J. Breidenstein said students brought the threat to the attention of administrators after the message “Kill 55 – Friday” was discovered written on a bathroom wall in the high school building Wednesday.

The threat, though nonspecific, was treated as credible, and security was heightened.

There was a more visible presence of school resource officers and other law enforcement officers.

Backpacks and lockers were checked, Breidenstein said.

“The school personnel and resource officers did an excellent job in securing the necessary information and evidence to quickly and safely resolve this benign threat,” the superintendent said in a statement. “It is important to note that the information to resolve this matter came from students and staff concerned for the safety of their classmates and colleagues.”

The name of the student who was suspended for the graffiti has not been released, pending criminal charges, Breidenstein said.

Information of the heightened measures within the district were posted on social media Friday to let parents know of the situation.